What to expect after a C-section

From the administration of anesthesia to suturing, a C-section can take anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes. Afterward, you will be moved to a recovery room, where nurses will monitor you, ask you about your pain levels and administer more medication via IV, if needed. In addition, the nurses will do a deep (and painful!) palpation of your abdomen to help the uterus contract.

After a C-section, it's very common to get the "shakes," which typically last one to two hours. To help, you'll be covered with warm blankets and given warmed IV fluids; if it is severe, medication can be administered.

When you are stable and can lift your feet and bottom (signs that the anesthesia is wearing off), you will be taken to your room, usually within two to four hours. You'll be encouraged to get up—usually to sit on the edge of your bed—within about 12 hours of surgery. Once your catheter is removed (usually after about 18 hours), you'll be asked to get up and walk. This can help reduce the risk for blood clots.





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C-Section Photo Essay

A Fit Pregnancy editor takes us behind the scenes at the C-section delivery of her twins.

Contributing editor Carole Anderson Lucia lives with her family in Fallbrook, Calif.

Photography By Jeff Lucia

When I ended up having a Cesarean section with my first child, Dylan, 10 years ago, I wasn't that surprised. Disappointed and nervous, yes, but not surprised. Not only was I aware of the fairly high C-section rate in this country even then, but I also realized that some babies just have to be delivered with, as they say, surgical intervention. And when I found out I was pregnant with twins last year, I knew that because of my medical history, I was destined for another C-section. This time around, I was completely OK with it: I knew what to expect, so I wasn't nearly as nervous.

I also knew I'd love my babies no matter how they arrived—naturally, C-section or FedEx 2Day. If you, too, end up having a Cesarean section—and chances are you might, considering that more than 1 in 3 babies in the U.S. are now born this way—a little preparation and knowledge can go a long way toward demystifying the process and helping you feel more comfortable. I'm here to help you do just that, with a firsthand, up-close account of the delivery of my beautiful twins.

Watch a live video of Carole's C-section




View an intimate slide show of Carole's C-section delivery


From From A Tale of Two Births, October/November 2008
Special thanks to the staff at Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women in San Diego, without whom this article (and these babies) would not have been possible.

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